Ukraine: Despite Calm on the Surface, the Political Crisis Boils on Below

Last Saturday morning, a Ukrainian television journalist, Oleh Kryshtopa, awoke to find that his car had been set on fire overnight. Witnesses reported seeing three men who they think were the arsonists. Kryshtopa says the terrifying act of vandalism is a warning—and payback—because he has been actively reporting on the “EuroMaidan” protests that have been underway non-stop in Ukraine since last November.

Suspicious car fires are becoming commonplace in Ukraine these days. Many protesters are still missing or detained and remain at risk of police harassment and politically motivated prosecutions.

One thing is clear: The current and delicate cease-fire—one that is being violated repeatedly by the police and hired thugs—is not going to solve the political crisis in Ukraine. The country must address deep-seated and long-term structural problems with its system of governance. It must also restore transparency and fairness to its judicial system and greatly improve its human rights record.

The Freedom House report for 2014 awards Ukraine only seven out of 16 points in “the rule of law” area. Justice in the country suffers due to corruption both in the courts—such as those that are issuing arrest warrants for peaceful protesters—and also in Ukraine’s parliament, where unconstitutional laws that limit journalistic freedom and outlaw political activism have been passed in violation of normal legislative procedures.

The Freedom House report illustrates vividly why Ukrainians have taken to the streets to protest the Yanukovych government. And none of the stop-gap measures—such as Yanukovych’s “calling in sick” or the resignation of the prime minister and his cabinet or the unlawful “amnesty” law—will solve the political crisis. While the government’s reluctance to sign a trade agreement with the European Union was enough to spark the protests, the problems go much deeper. Only profound changes to Ukraine’s political system will restore public confidence.

James M. Roberts is the Research Fellow in Freedom and Growth at The Heritage Foundation's Center for International Trade and Economics. Roberts' primary responsibility is to produce the Index of Economic Freedom, an influential annual analysis of the economic climate of countries throughout the world.

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